Barbara Nick (AMP 165, 2003) has spent more than 30 years in the gas and electric industry, honing her skills to become an award-winning leader in business and in her community. She knew her success was due in part to other leaders—the people who gave her opportunities, pointed the way, and led by example. So when the mother of six retired in 2012, she tapped the expertise of her colleagues and friends—her HBS classmates included—and published a book of 26 of their essays on what makes an effective leader, entitled Lenses of Leadership: A Call to Action.

“There is a scarcity and a need for more leadership in every venue of life, and we, as leaders, hope that by acknowledging and honoring leadership that scarcity will turn to abundance,” writes Nick, who was coaxed out of retirement in 2014 to become president and CEO at Dairyland Power Cooperative, based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. “I had to take it,” she says. “I’m committed to the kind of leadership that makes the world a better place and that keeps it a better place.”